Hard Break Pedal?

My car brake pedal has been feeling "hard" when I press it since
Thursday, I would appreciate any advice on what is going on and if it
is safe to drive like that as it is a new week so I have to decide if
I should take it to a garage or get my breakdown service to check it.

I had this problem before a couple of months ago... the brake pedal
felt hard and I took it to my local garage and they said there was an
air leak effecting pressure (or something) and they fixed it- I then
picked it up and it was fine and then went hard again and even worse
my car then started stalling! so I took it back and there was another
air leak and they changed it and told me it was safe to drive.

However, the pedal felt firmer than it ever was before (although not
hard like when I took it into the garage).

So not happy I called out the breakdown service and they checked it
and the guy said that although the pedal was firm it was perfectly
normal and nothing to worry about - he took the car for a drive and
disconnected the vacuum pump (I dont remmeber if that is what it was?)
from the brakes to show me the difference. In the end he said that it
was fine and the brakes feel different because from when I got the car
there was an air leak making the brake pedal softer than it should be.

I have been driving around without any problems like that and even
became so used to the firmer pedal that I stopped noticing it! and
then on Thursday when braking the the pedal suddenly felt hard again!

I am having no other issues, no stalling, just a hard pedal! I have
been driving around since then quite a bit and although the pedal is
hard I have no problems with my brakes other than the fact the pedal
feels wierd to me as its hard again.

I am no expert (not by any margin) but I find myself unconcerned about
my brakes as it simply feels to me like there is a loss of some
pressure from the vacuum, like when the RAC (breakdown) guy
disconnected the brakes to show me. Maybe that is something I should
be concerned about? I don't know that is why I am posting here!

I would appreciate any advice on what to do now? is it safe for me to
drive the car like that? should I get it checked out on Monday (today
for me as I am in England).

 

Just forgot to mention its a 98 Volvo S40 with around 160,000 miles.
Thanks.

 

I also forgot to mention that they changed the vacuum hose to the
brakes in the garage as I neglected to mention what the garage found
air leaks in! so now you know. Thanks again!

 

I'm totally confused. If you are unconcerned about the operation of
an important system like brakes then why are you taking so much time
composing a long message. If on the other hand you are concerned
about whether the brakes are working then I would take your car to
another mechanic for another opinion. Take it to a good Volvo
dealership this time.

 

I had the RAC over and the guy says there are no problems and
everything is fine with the brakes and the brake servo (booster) he
says that the ABS may be effecting the feel of the pedal (as my ABS is
not working properly as the light is constantly on) but that its safe
to drive and there is nothing to worry about. Although he did
recommend I take it to a garage to get it checked properly soon he did
not seem to think it was an urgent matter.

Which is why I was not that concerned because I was pretty certain
that brakes still worked just that the pedal felt harder than
normal... anyway any suggestions on what he said would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

Then what was the purpose of the message?

 

Seems to be a vacuum leak. Chack all the hoses under the hood (bonnet,
I believe, for those on the other side of the pond). You already had one
hose replaced, possibly another is going.

 

I actually had both hoses replaced before when I had this problem. and
the RAC guy checked the pressure and said he couldnt find any leaks.

So do you think that the problem is still a leak or do you think that
it maybe something else? Thanks.

 

If there are no leaks, I would consider replacing the booster/master
cylinder assembly. The reason I would do both is if the booster is
shot, there is a good chance the master cylinder is near its last legs,
so do both at one shot. A little bit more money up front, but you have
to do the same work to replace those parts.
As to whether it is safe to drive, it all depends upon how strong your
legs are. You are basically driving without power brakes.
HTH